Improvement in dental foil



RICHARD' s. wILLIAMs, oF'NEwYoRK, N. YQ I IMPROVEMENT lNjDENTAL FolL.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 181,508, dated-August'22, 1876; application led June 28, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RICHARD S. WILLIAMS vfof the city, county, and State of New York,

have invented anew and useful Improvement in Dental Foil; Aand that the followingl is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon, making part of this specification.

This invention is in the nature of an improvement in dental foil 5 and the invention consists in, as an improved article of manufacture,- foil for dental purposes arranged in parallel' lamin, of equal width and length, the several laminze being folded alternately in opposite directions, and the entire series oflaminte forming substantially a rectangular ribbon or pile with smooth uncorrugated surface.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings,

` Figure l is a plan or top view of sheet of foil;

Fig. 2, a plan or top view of my ribbon or pile 5 and Fig. 3, a cross-section of same in line a', Fig. 2.

- Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures.

Dentists, when preparing foil for use, ordinarily cut the foil into strips of suitable width, fold it over continuously, fold over fold, and then roll it up on a small broach, or similar instrument, forming a small cylinder, which is inserted and packed into the cavity to be lled. This preparation of the foil not only takes time, but a serious disadvantage arises from preparing foil in this Way-that is, the folding of the foil fold over fold in one continuous direction practically results in each succeeding fold binding the others, so that when the folding is completed the entire series makes a comparatively rigid ribbon or pile that will not bend squarely,

but will rather pucker at the bend, so that,

after such a pile has been rolled into cylinders by the dentist, as above described, much of its plasticity is lost, and it is not, therefore, so Well suited to fillthe sinuosities of a dental cavity.

'By my method, however, of forming the pile or ribbon of foil, thesel objectionable features are obviated, for `in constructing the ribbon or pile, instead of folding the foil over and over continuously, I fold each lamina, a, alternately from one side and the other of the strip or sheet of foil, making a'ribboul or pile, A, that may be opened and closed in a similar manner to the bellows of 'an accor-` dion. The lamin, being unconii'ned by any Wrapping, as in the caseof a continuous fold, o

suitable lengths with shears, and used withl out further preparation, excepting to anneal it, should thedcntist desire to do so, in which case'the edge of the last lamina may be made to adhere to the'others, thereby preventingA its unfolding.

I am aware that foil has 'been heretofore' crimped by a machine constructed for that purpose, in which case the laminae are folded.

in a manner similar to that which I have described as my invention; but niy process of forming ribbons'or piles of foil is not to be confounded with this crimping process, nor are the products of the two processes to be regarded as the same, for the reason that foil which has been crimped has a surface which is composed of small wrinkles or corrugations, the formation of which necessarily shortens the length and lessens the width of the ribbon or pile produced by this crimping process; besides, the Wrinkles or corrugations, of necessity, to some extent, add to the stiffness or non-plasticityof the foil; whereas foil folded as I have described, by any process other than the crimping process, does not-take away veither from the llength or width of the sheet of foil from.

which the ribbon or pile is made, and the surface of the foil issubstantially smooth and unchanged.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let- As an improved article of manufacture, a

ribbon or pile of dental foil, constructed of a series of laminze 'folded alternately from one side and the other of a sheet of foil, and havin'g a smooth uncorrugated surface, substantially as described.

RICHARD S. WILLIAMS. Witnesses:

- S. B. GooDALE,

F. DEAN.

PATENT :.QFFICE?. y 

